Author: IANS
Publication: The Times of India
Date: September 28, 2004
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/866546.cms
The Dalai Lama, filmmaker Shekhar
Kapur and new age guru Deepak Chopra may come together soon for a film
on the Buddha.
India's largest Buddhist group,
the Mahabodhi Society of India, is commissioning the film and is in talks
with Kapur to direct the $50 million venture that could hit the screens
globally by end-2005.
According to the society's newly
elected president, Bhupendra Kumar Modi, the project has the blessings
of the Dalai Lama, who has also apparently commented on the script.
"It was a personal dream of mine
to make a film on the Buddha," said Modi, a well-known industrialist who
is pitching in with $10 million for the yet-to-be-named project.
Modi said he and Kapur met the Dalai
Lama early this month in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
The two also met important aides of the Dalai Lama.
"The Dalai Lama provided his suggestions
for the script. He also wrote to his famous disciples in Hollywood to help
our project," Modi said.
The Dalai Lama has famous disciples
like Richard Gere, Goldie Hawn, Sharon Stone and Melissa Mathison.
Modi said filming could begin early
next year and the project would be ready by end-2005. "The film's release
could be coincided with the 2,550th birthday celebrations of the Buddha,"
he said.
"We have just started talking about
it and it's too early to talk about the film," Kapur was quoted as saying.
Modi said it was Kapur who had approached
him first to make a film on the Buddha.
Spiritual self-help guru Deepak
Chopra is assisting with the script. Modi is trying to rope in Sony for
worldwide distribution of the film that is to be extensively shot in India.
